Craving My Husband’s Brother

CHAPTER 9 AMBER

I locked the door of the guest bathroom, pressed my back against the cold wood, and slid all the way down to the floor.

My hands were shaking so violently I couldn't even hold my face in them.

‘Liam.’

The name felt like a brand on my soul. Out of all the millions of people in this city, out of every single club I could have walked into, I had handed myself over to my husband's older brother. The cold, disciplined heir. The man who now held the keys to the Hawthorn empire.

‘Great job Amber…you just had to ruin everything for yourself’I thought to myself

I stayed on the floor for what felt like hours, my knees pulled tightly to my chest, listening to the quiet hum of the mansion's upper wing. If anyone found out about last night, the fragile house of cards I had built to protect myself would collapse.

Diego Martin’s men were still combing the territory for Amber Garcia. If a scandal this massive hit the press, my fake identity as Alice Sinclair would be ripped apart by reporters, exposing me to the monster who killed my father and brother.

Slowly, I pushed myself up, smoothing down the wrinkled silk of my green dress. I walked over to the mirror, staring at the flushed, terrified woman looking back at me. My lips were slightly swollen, a bruising reminder of how fiercely Liam had kissed me in the dark.

"Get it together," I whispered to myself, splashing cold water on my face. "You just have to avoid him. Work your job, stay out of his way, and survive."

As i was about to unlock the door. I heard voices outside the door.

They were definitely that of Nathaniel and Audrey’s.

“Remember you said you loved me Nathaniel” Audrey said.

“Yes baby you know i do… i shouldn’t have gone so close to her , but this my brother we are talking about and the whole press were present” Nathaniel said, his words were slightly slurry from the alcohol

Were they talking about me. It definitely was about me. I observed Audrey staring at us back down there. She watched as Nathaniel grabbed my waist and pulled me closer. She didn’t hide her jealousy one bit.

“It’s high time you divorce her Nathaniel. She serves no purpose, she is f*****g barren, can’t produce any living thing” Audrey said cutting him off.

“I know I know…I’m working on it, just give me time. It can’t be that easy. With my brother around again” nathaniel replied her. “You’re the one woman i love you know that right” i hear the muffled voice of them kissing after he said that.

I can’t believe Nathaniel would say that to me.

Barren.

The word echoed violently inside my head like a curse.

My chest tightened so painfully it felt like someone had shoved a knife right between my ribs and twisted it slowly. For sixteen months, I had bent over backwards trying to save our marriage while he humiliated me behind closed doors.

And now this?

I pressed my trembling hand against my mouth to stop myself from making a sound.

“You know she’s obsessed with you,” Audrey whispered with a low laugh. “The i***t still thinks this marriage can work.”

Nathaniel chuckled darkly. “That’s her problem. Alice doesn’t know when to let go.”

A sharp pain stabbed straight through my chest immediately i squeezed my eyes shut.

Moment later i heard their footsteps as they walked away.

A tear escaped before I could stop it. Then another.

Suddenly I couldn’t breathe.

The hallway blurred around me as I hurried away from the bathroom, my heels clicking unevenly against the marble floor. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just needed distance. Distance from their voices. From this mansion. From the suffocating humiliation crushing my chest.

My vision became watery.

I passed several empty guest rooms before shoving open the nearest door and stumbling inside.

The room was dark except for the warm glow of decorative candles scattered across a small sitting area. One of the maids had probably lit them earlier for ambiance before the party started downstairs.

The second the door slammed shut behind me, I broke.

A raw sob ripped violently out of my throat.

“Oh God…” I choked, clutching my chest.

The pain was unbearable.

Everything I had survived suddenly crashed into me at once.

My father’s death.

My brother’s death.

Running from Diego Martin.

Living under a fake identity.

Nathaniel’s constant rejection.

And now this.

Being called barren by the man I had desperately tried to love.

I stumbled toward the edge of the bed, but my knees gave out halfway there. My shoulder slammed against a small side table.

CRASH.

One of the candles toppled over.

I barely noticed. My face was buried in my hands as violent sobs wrecked through my body.

“I wasn’t enough…” I whispered brokenly. “I was never enough for anybody…”

A strange crackling sound filled the room. At first, my alcohol-fogged brain didn’t process it.

Then came the smell. Smoke. That was definitely the smell of smoke.

My head jerked upward.

The fallen candle had rolled into the sheer curtains beside the bed. Flames climbed upward hungrily, swallowing the fabric with terrifying speed.

“Oh my God—”

I stumbled to my feet too quickly but the room spun violently.

The alcohol from earlier mixed horribly with panic and exhaustion, making my balance completely unstable.

The fire spread fast across the curtain, licking toward the wooden wall panels.

Heat blasted against my face and smoke began filling the room.

I rushed toward the door, coughing hard, but my heel caught against the edge of the rug.

I slammed onto the floor then a pain exploded through my knee.

“s**t—”

The smoke thickened rapidly around me. My lungs burne so bad..

I tried to stand again, but dizziness hit me so hard my vision blackened around the edges.

“Help…” I rasped weakly.

Downstairs, the music still played loudly enough to drown everything out.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as panic finally consumed me whole.

I was going to die here.

Alone.

The thought shattered something inside me completely.

Suddenly—

BANG!

The door burst open violently and fresh air rushed inside.

Through the smoke, I saw a tall figure charging into the room.

Liam.